P300,000 reward offered for info on BIR executive's murder

MANILA, Philippines - Antipolo City Mayor Nilo Leyble and relatives of the slain Bureau of Internal Revenue official offered yesterday a P300,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the latter’s gunman.

Calabarzon police director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. expressed strong belief that the reward would encourage the public to report the presence of the gunman, Armando Cariño, alias Manding.

“The reward is timely because it would help us to speed up the arrest of the gunman, who continues to elude our dragnets,” said Pag­dilao.

Senior Superintendent Manuel Cesar Prieto, Rizal police provincial director released on Sunday the photographs of Cariño but nobody dared report his presence as of yesterday.

But Pagdilao is confident that the days of Cariño as a fugitive from justice are numbered and the reward would help hasten his arrest.

Leyble made his P100,000 reward offer to Superintendent Rodino Elfa, Antipolo City police chief, yesterday while the relatives of the victim, Marcelino Yap, extended their offer before Prieto.

Prieto said a certain Richard Singh, a relative of Yap, claimed they “would pool their resources to come up with P200,000 as reward for the information leading to the arrest of Cariño.”

Senior Superintendent Edwin Nemenzo, regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 4A, said charges of murder have been filed before the sala of the Antipolo City prosecutor’s office against the three suspects.

“We will never stop to hunt them, until we will get the suspects in due time,” Nemenzo said.

Prieto said Cariño, a native of Bicol province is residing in Marikina City.

“We strongly believe that he’s still here somewhere in Rizal or in Metro Manila. We will get him in due time,” said Prieto.

Cariño and a certain Toto were charged with murder Saturday before the Antipolo City prosecutor’s office for the ambush-slaying of Yap, 46, the regional district officer of BIR District 45.

Cariño’s nephew, Andy Cariño, was alleged as accessory to the crime, said Pagdilao.

A prosecutor ordered the younger Cariño detained without bail, he said.      – With Ed Amoroso